The Pendragon Brothers
by nkshamma
Summary: In the throne room of Uther Pendragon, a long kept secret is coming to light which may change the Pendragons perspective of magic.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It was a normal day in Camelot however there was something in the air. A kind of a feeling which makes everyone feel something big is going happen. Merlin felt it too and it slightly worried him. However he was busy cleaning the Prince Prat's chainmail.

While in the throne room Uther, the King was there along with his son, Arthur and his Knights Gwaine, Leon, Percival, Lancelot, Elyan and Kay. Gaius was there too along with two women.

"Who are they, Gaius?" inquired Uther.

"My lord, this one is Mary and another one is Martha. They were the midwives who took care of the Queen when she gave birth" said Gaius.

The woman Mary, was short and have blond hair which was tied up in a bun. She have blue eyes and she was wearing a simple green and white dress. Martha was tall and have short blond hair. She have light blue eyes and was wearing a simple red and white dress. She looked younger than Mary. They have similar complexion which lead people to think they are sisters, but they aren't.

They bowed to the King. "What brings you here? Inquired Uther.

"My Lord, we live in a small village just outside Camelot. Our village is going through a drought and there is a lack of food. So we are here to seek your help. We will really be thankful if you can provide us with some food and water." said Mary.

"We heard wonderful things about the Prince and as we were there when the Queen gave birth but have to leave after that, we would love to see the Princes." Added Martha.

"About your first request, Camelot will help you and Arthur with his knights, will ride out to see that the solution to the problem is being met. And for the second request, as you both were there when my son was born, this is Arthur Pendragon." Uther said it by pointing to Arthur, who in response nod his head towards the women.

Both Mary and Martha smiled and bow to him. Then Martha asked "Where is the second Prince, My Lord?"

**Author's note: I know it is a very short chapter but what do you think? Do you like it? Should I continue?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Thank you to everyone who gave reviews and the encouragement to continue the story. **

**Chapter 2**

There was pin drop silence and Arthur was shocked. He looked at Uther who looked surprised too but he kept his composure and asked, "Second Prince? I only have one son. I thought you told me you both were midwives when Arthur was born."

"Yes, my Lord, we were the mid-wives when your sons were born. The Queen gave birth to two sons not one, I was there, I saw it." pressed Martha. "After the first son was born and Mary took him to you, I was there with the Queen along with Gaius. A while later the Queen started to have contractions again and Gaius realized that she was giving birth to another child. Then she gave birth to another son. I remember looking at his eyes. He had the same eyes as his brother, blue, but with little sparks of gold in it, his hair was black."

"Gaius was there. He knows there is a second son" Martha added.

Everyone was shocked. Both the Pendragons looked at Gaius who was looking down and kind of fidgeting which was so unlike the physician.

"Gaius" Uther called him.

The physician slowly looked up towards the King and the Prince. Then Uther asked, "Is it true, what this woman is saying? Do I have another son?"

Gaius denied it but both Arthur and Uther saw how nervous he looked and he was fidgeting which clearly proved that he was lying. So Uther said, "Gaius, I can clearly see that you are lying. Tell me the truth. Do I have another son? Gaius tell me now and don't you dare lie."

Gaius was silent for a minute and then nodded his head in confirmation and also voiced it, "Yes, my Lord, the Queen gave birth to two sons not only Arthur."

Uther stood up, outraged. "Where is my son then? Why don't I know anything about it? How could you have not said anything all these years? Answer me Gaius. Where is he?"

Gaius was quiet. He didn't say anything for a long time. Arthur was getting impatient. He walked to Gaius and asked him "Gaius where is he? Where is my brother?" It felt weird for Arthur saying the word brother.

For such a long time he had wanted a brother. He remembered when he was a child, he always wanted a brother, someone with whom he could play with. While he was growing up he wanted someone with who he can share his burdens and secrets or someone who would just be there for him. Morgana was there, but it wasn't the same. However after Merlin became his servant and friend he felt lighter. All those times when he had wanted a brother, when he accepted the bitter truth that he wouldn't have one, and now Gaius was saying he already has a brother!

Gaius looked at Arthur for a minute. A minute which seem like a year for both of them and then said "He is alive, safe and happy. But I won't tell you where he is or what his name is."

Uther and Arthur stiffened at that response but before either could object or say anything, Gaius continued, "There is a reason why we took your brother out of Camelot."

Arthur raised his eyebrows at the word "we" wondering who else the word was referring to except Gaius. Uther and the knights were wondering the same thing. .

Gaius noticed Arthur's raised eyebrow and explained, "By "we" I meant me and Balinor."

The moment the name Balinor was mentioned, Uther stiffened and his lips turned into a hard line. Arthur was frozen on the spot. "Wait, are you talking about the Balinor who was the dragonlord? The one whom Merlin and I found?" asked Arthur. If Arthur wasn't looking and observing Gaius carefully then he would have missed the slight stiffening at the mention of Merlin. He was confused of the reaction but decided to ask Gaius about it later. Now he had more important things to deal with, like Balinor, the dragonlord, taking away his brother. So Balinor knew where and who his brother was. If he knew about this, he would have done everything to get the information from the dragonlord about his brother.

"Yes, I am talking about him. Your father hasn't told you anything, but Balinor was your uncle. He was Igraine's brother. Uther hunted him because he was a dragonlord. As you know a dragonlord is someone who can command dragons and your father thought this had more similarity with magic and for that he hunted his own brother in law." explained Gaius.

Arthur couldn't believe his own ears. The man that he went to look for, the man who died in front of him, was his uncle? He hadn't even known that the man had been his uncle. How his father hadn't mentioned anything. "How can you not tell me that the man I was going to look for was my uncle?" Arthur asked his father.

"I didn't think the information was important during the time. I just wanted you to bring him here so he could kill the dragon and save Camelot" replied Uther.

"No, you should have mentioned it to me" shouted Arthur.

"Enough, you won't talk with me that way. Don't forget with whom you are speaking. I am your father and your King. Show me some respect, boy" shouted Uther. "Most importantly we are getting distracted from the matter at hand. I need to know why you and the traitor took my son away from me. How dare he take my son?" Uther asked this to Gaius.

"He was not a traitor. He was your brother in law for God's sake. Igraine's favorite brother and you hunted him just because he was a dragonlord. You know very well how the powers of dragonlords are passed upon. No one can choose it, it is given to them, has been passed upon for generations. And you hunted him for something which he has no control over it, he didn't choose it. Forget about choosing it, he was like a brother to you Uther but your hatred towards magic had turned you so blind that you didn't even spare your own family." Shouted Gaius.

"Enough" shouted Uther. "I won't hear another word of it. I have done what was needed and what was right. How dare you support sorcerers in my court? Just tell me where my son is before I put you in the dungeon."

"Okay, fine, put me in the dungeon, I won't say anything" replied Gaius stubbornly.

"Enough, both of you" exclaimed Arthur. "Please Gaius finish your story and tell me why did you take my brother away from us? Please."

Gaius calmed down and continued "We all knew Igraine was going to give birth to one son and it's you. After she gave birth to you and Mary took you to Uther, I was taking care of her. After a few minutes she started to have contractions. I realized she was in labor again and was giving birth to another baby. I was shocked but recovered quickly; I and Martha were there when the second son was born. But immediately I felt something, I knew this son was different and it was confirmed when his eyes flashed gold. That son had magic, he was born with it."

Arthur froze and his jaw nearly dropped. Uther was beyond shocked. His son has "magic". All the knights were frozen on the spot. They also couldn't believe what they had just heard. Born with magic?

"Born with magic? What… but I thought people learn magic" spluttered Arthur.

"No, there are some who are born with magic. They don't have a choice on it. It's given to them. People who are born with magic are called warlocks, where people who learn to do magic are called sorcerers. Sorcerers choose magic, warlocks don't. Your brother is a warlock" Gaius explained.

Everyone was stunned with this new knowledge. They never knew that there are different kinds of magic users. To them it was always the same, people who have magic are sorcerers. And more importantly they never knew that someone could be born with magic; that people actually wouldn't get to choose whether they want magic or not. They always knew that people choose to learn it.

Gaius continued, "Balinor felt it too".

"Your brother's power, Balinor felt it" Gaius explained on Arthur's questioning gaze. "I wrapped your brother in a blanket and took him outside the room, where I saw Balinor standing. I asked him whether he felt the power or not and he stated he felt it. It was a warm feeling rushing inside us. Then I heard Igraine cry out and I rushed inside carrying your brother. I understood something was wrong the way your mother was breathing and how pale she looked. I predicted the worse however something happened that moment. Something that none of us expected it or ever imagined it. Your brother's eyes flashed gold again and Igraine's breathing became normal and we saw some color return to her face. I and Balinor were shocked. How can a child who was born just few minutes before be already using his magic to save his mother? At that moment we realized that this child is not like any other warlock, he is special. He has great powers."

Everything was still in that room. No one moved even a single muscle as they were so shocked. Both the Pendragons were beyond shocked. Arthur was thinking his brother tried to save his mother when he was just few minutes old. Uther's reaction was slightly similar to Arthur but felt proud of his second son but then realized that Igraine still died that night, so what had happened? Something might have happened in the midst, but what? He was about to ask Gaius, but Arthur beat him to it.

"But, she still died. What happened?" asked Arthur.

"Yes she still died. M… your brother was just few minutes old, even if his magic might be powerful compare to any warlock I have ever heard, but it was still limited due to his age" Gaius said, internally shaking his head for the slip. He hoped no one noticed it.

However, Arhtur and some of his knights caught the slip as they were literally hanging on each and every word that came out of Gaius's mouth. Arthur thought maybe Gaius was going to tell them his brother name which now he knows starts with the letter "M". But he was also wondering why Gaius still haven't told them his brother name and keep on saying "your brother". It's not that he minded, he actually likes it whenever he says "your brother", it gave Arthur a warm fuzzy feeling inside stating he actually does have a brother. He smiled at that thought. However, why wouldn't Gaius tell them his brother's name? Did they already know him? He definitely needed to find out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"I remembered after your mother's breathing became normal and she saw your brother, she wanted to hold him. So I handed your brother to her. She was so happy to see him. I still remember that beautiful moment when both mother and son were looking at each other and smiling. Your brother was cooing happily." Gaius continued.

That beautiful image of the memory nearly brought tears to both Arthur and Uther's eyes. Uther was feeling both sadness and anger; sadness because he himself had not been there to witness the beautiful moment and was never given the chance to hold his son and anger that he didn't know where his son was and Gaius was denying to reveal the whereabouts of his son. He would find out where his son was, that was the promise of a father.

"Your mother gave him a name. As they already had a name for you, but as the birth of your brother was a surprise, she wanted to name him herself. So she named him…" Gaius trailed off.

"Please Gaius, please tell me my brother's name. What did my mother name him? Tell me." Arthur nearly begged Gaius.

Gaius looked down solemnly and said "I am sorry, Arthur, I cannot. I promised Balinor that I will never reveal your brother's true identity to Uther. The step we took all those years ago broke us. We knew we were tearing a family apart but whatever we did, we did to protect your brother. Now do you want me to continue with the story or not?"

Arthur sadly shook his head and told him to continue, while Uther was shaking with anger. Promise Balinor, my foot.

Gaius continued with the story "Then again your mother's breathing increased. She tenderly kissed your brother's forehead and touched her forehead with his and whispered something which only mother and son could hear. Then handed him to Balinor. She made me and Balinor promise that we both would look after her two sons. Suddenly your brother started crying and Igraine took her last breath. The power of the Old Religion and the balance of the magic was stronger than your brother's power because when she was holding onto her life, his eyes were continually flashing gold. It meant his magic tried its best to save his mother's life however it failed."

Everything and everyone was silent.

"In the other room, you had started crying too. As if both of you felt the loss of your mother. I went to call Uther when Balinor took the child to the nursery. We both decided we would surprise Uther with the child. When he would have been sad with Igraine's passing, may be the sight of the second son along with the information that he is gifted, would make your father happy. But we hadn't realized how wrong we were." Gaius continued with a solemn look.

Arthur looked at him with tears in his eyes and wondered why did they had thought that they were wrong? What had happened?

"When your father got to know about Igraine's death, he broke apart and in his grief he started to blame Nimueh and magic."

Uther froze at that information and told Gaius to stop. However Gaius still continued "No, Uther this truth has to come out now if you want to know about your second son." He looked at Arthur and continued "Your mother couldn't conceive…"

"Enough, Gaius. You promised you would never speak of this to anyone" reprimanded Uther.

However Arthur was shocked still. He had heard those words before "mother couldn't conceive", when Morgause showed him the illusion of his mother. However he thought it was just magic deceiving him, isn't that what Merlin had told him. Had Merlin lied to him? Why? He definitely needed to have a chat with his manservant regarding lying to him, when all this was done with.

"Gaius please continue" said Arthur. "And father, you will not interrupt him. I want to know the truth, because I am tired of the all the lies and of being in the dark. I want to know the truth, and you already know that I know a version of it through Morgause."

Uther became quiet but was not at all happy. However he ordered the midwives to leave the room as this was a personal matter. Both Mary and Martha bowed and left.

Gaius continued "Your mother couldn't conceive so your father went to the sorcerer Nimueh. She was the High Priestess of the Old Religion. He made a deal with her that she would make Igraine conceive with magic"

Gasps sounded throughout the throne room.

"However there was a price to pay. There is a rule of the Old Religion which states to give a life, a life must be taken too. Nimueh warned your father about this but as he was so desperate for an heir, he still went through with it. May be Uther thought that some random peasant or random citizen would die but he never thought that it would be Igraine." Gaius explained.

Uther closed his eyes and bowed his head. Arthur was frozen, he felt both anger and sadness. Anger towards his father. All the knights looked at Uther in both pity and anger. Pity because he had just wanted a son and for it he lost his wife, however anger because if this was the real reason for the outlaw of magic then it had been a huge mistake on their part.

"So when your father got to know that Igraine was dead, he started to blame Nimueh and magic, and started the Great Purge, Balinor went to him and tried to make him understand. However Uther didn't listen to him, rather turned against him as he was a dragonlord. At that moment we understood that we could not tell him about the second Prince. If we had told him, then the babe might not have survived Uther's hatred. So then and there we decided not to let anyone know that a second son had been born and Balinor took him away and went as far away from Camelot where even the shadow of the Pendragons or Uther could not fall upon the innocent child." Gaius finished.

A pregnant pause. No one knew what to say. Arthur's knees gave away and he slid down to the floor. He couldn't believe all the things Gaius had just said. He and his brother were born because of magic; his brother had magic but was taken away from him because of his father's prejudice against magic; he wasn't allowed to grow up with his brother because of his father's hatred. All the knights bowed their head in grief.

Uther was shocked but stood up when Arthur fell down and said "I would have never killed my own son. How could you even think that I would kill my son?"

"Wouldn't you have?" asked Gaius. "You hunted down your own brother in law. What guarantee was there that you wouldn't have killed your own son who was born with magic? And Uther your son doesn't just have magic, he is magic himself. Magic runs in his veins like blood. No warlock could ever use their magic so early in their life like your son did."

"May be you wouldn't have killed him, but with your hatred you would have made him believe that his powers were evil and that he was a monster, and I couldn't let that happen. I heard one time when he tried not to use his magic for a week, his body started to itch and then bleed. It happened because he was suppressing his magic. When his step mother noticed that she made him promise that he will never try to suppress his magic ever in his life. You know the chains that you have which blocks magic. If you ever put those chains around him, it could literally kill him. And with your hatred towards all sorcerers, I don't know Uther what you would have done but I wasn't willing to take that risk." Gaius continued.

However the more Gaius explained the more shocked everyone was getting. Arthur felt like his eyes were about to bulge out of his sockets. Magic itself? Run in the veins? What? He had never heard of anything like this. Uther and the knights were shocked too. Gwaine had never heard of anything like this in his life and among them he was the one who had roamed around most kingdoms and had seen and had heard of crazy things.

Gaius looked tired. "I know you all want to know where he is or what his name is, but I can't endanger his life by revealing this information."

"But…" Uther trailed off when he saw Gaius hold up his hand.

"I heard what you said but I still can't tell you. Suppose now you won't do anything to him because you want to see him but what about the future. What happens when something bad happens in Camelot and you blame him? No, my Lord, I can't take that chance. If you want to put me in the dungeon or kill me, I will not stop you but I cannot reveal his name or where he lives. Just know that he is happy wherever he is, he has a lot of friends who care deeply for him and he has a family. May be step but still a family none the less."

All of them understood that they are not getting any more information from Gaius now. He wouldn't tell them. However Arthur and his knights hadn't given up. They will give it time, let everything cool down and then try coaxing the information out of him. They could use Merlin's help too.

"I understand Gaius that you are trying to protect my brother and I thank you for that". Arthur said to Gaius who looked up at him surprised. Even Uther was shocked. "You look tired. It has been a long day. You should go and take some rest. In fact we all are tired. I will retire to my chambers." Then he gave his knights a look which clearly suggested that they were not retiring so soon, however they would all meet their Prince in his chamber. They nodded their heads, bowed to the King and left.

Gaius left after them. Arthur looked at his father's shocked expression and said "Father, I will retire to my chamber now. If you don't mind I would like to have dinner there by myself. You should take rest. We will talk about this later."

Uther heard an edge to his son's voice by which he understood he was not giving up so easily. He nodded his head in agreement. Arthur stepped out of the throne room with a new mission in his mind, he would find out who is his brother was, where he is and finally he would bring him home.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The meeting in the throne room took nearly the entire day. It was already dark outside, nearly time for dinner. During all this time, Merlin finished all his chores that Arthur gave him. Now he left to wonder what was happening in the throne room. He had been in Camelot for more than two years and he never had seen a meeting to continue for so long, taking the entire day. He was getting slightly worried too, because the nagging feeling that he felt since he woke up had increased. It seems like something big was going to happen today. Nothing happened the entire day so he thought maybe the feeling was for nothing but now it felt like the feeling had grown tenfold, and it worried him. At first he thought he would go and wait in Gaius's room as Gaius was in the throne room too. When he would see Gaius, he would ask him what happened and then he could go and finish serving Arthur his dinner. However, at the last minute he ended up in Arthur's room. He decided to wait here for the Prat.

He was standing by the window and thinking all that happened in his life since he came to Camelot; somehow Camelot became his home. Here he had more friends and people he cared for than in Ealdor. Ealdor never felt like home to him, however he always felt like he belonged in Camelot, which was surprising because magic was banned here and if anyone ever found out that he was a warlock, he would be executed. He lived for eighteen years in Ealdor and the only friend he had there were his mother and Will, and he has been in Camelot only for two and a half years, and he already had so many friends that he never thought he would have; along with the Prince Prat, Gwaine and Lancelot were his best friends. He were friends with Leon, Percival, Elyan and Kay too but not as close like those three. However the Prat acted towards him, but he knew Arthur cared for him or else why would he risk his life and go against his father to get the morteus flower to save Merlin's life. Arthur was more like a brother to him than a friend. They bicker all day, tried to make each other life's hell and protect each other's backs. After he met Arthur, he realized what it was like to have a brother. But he would never say this to Arthur, the Prat Highness already had a big head and he didn't want to make it any bigger by saying this to him.

He also had family here, Gaius. He was like a father to him. His father Balinor, with whom he got the chance to spend only two days, was taken away from him. He never got to know him while he was growing up but in those two days he understood that his father was a good and caring man and he really had loved his mother. Uther, the king, drove Balinor away from Ealdor as he was hunting him, and for this Merlin was left to grow up without a father.

He was thinking about his destiny. All the things that had happened since he came to Camelot and found out about his destiny with Arthur and Albion. All the people he lost because of this destiny, all the wrong decisions he took which caused so many disasters. Releasing Kilgaragh lead to destruction in Camelot and the death of his father. Choosing Freya over Arthur lead to Freya's death. Choosing to save the people in Ealdor with magic lead to Will's death. So many losses within these two years, it was already breaking him and he didn't know how much more he could take.

He didn't realize he was crying until someone said "Mate, are you okay? Why are you crying? Are you hurt?"

He realized it was Gwaine. He looked behind Gwaine and saw all the knights were there too. They looked worried.

"Merlin, what happened? Why are you crying? Did someone hurt you or say anything? You know you can tell us" said Lancelot who came and stood beside Merlin.

Merlin wiped his tears away, smiled at them and said "Nothing, I'm fine. What are you guys doing here? What happened at the meeting?"

"Merlin, tell us why you were crying? We won't say anything until and unless you don't answer us." replied Gwaine.

"I'm telling you it's nothing…" Merlin tried to explain but trailed off as he saw Arthur walk in and stop by looking at the scene in front of him.

"What's wrong? Why are you all standing surrounding Merlin like that and looking so worried?" asked Arthur.

"It's nothing…" Merlin tried to say. But Gwaine beat him to it and said "We found him standing here and crying, and now we wanted him to tell us what made him so sad, whether he is hurt or not."

Arthur had a long day, getting to know such a hidden and life changing secret drained all the energy from him. He just wanted to discuss things with his knights, have a nice hot bath, eat dinner and sleep. He could think about all these tomorrow, because he was physically and mentally drained and needed sleep. However one look at his manservant/ friend, and he forgot about all his worries and tiredness and need to know what made him cry. Merlin was always cheerful and had his goofy smile on his face and to see such sadness on his friend's face broke his heart. Arthur walked up and put his right hand on Merlin's shoulder and waited till his manservant looked at him. "Tell me why you were crying? Did someone hurt you?"

"No one hurt me Arthur and it's nothing, I am fine. I should go and bring your dinner, you look tired. Do you want me to prepare a bath for you?" Merlin asked while trying to walk away but Arthur's hand which was on his shoulder tightened.

"Merlin, you will tell me right now what happened or else you are not going anywhere. Tell me now." said Arthur strongly and with a voice of 'I'm the Prince and your master and you will tell me'.

"Don't be a prat" said Merlin.

"MERLIN! Tell me Now" yelled Arthur with anger in his voice.

"Okay… okay… you don't have to yell like that. I was" Merlin paused and was thinking what would he to tell Arthur. He couldn't tell him everything of what he was thinking or what made him cry. He couldn't tell him about their destiny, Balinor, Freya or Will. If he told Arthur that then he would have to reveal his magic which would lead to his death. So definitely not the truth but he was so tired of lying to Arthur over and over again. He could try to tell him half the truth, like about Will, as he was there. Yup that's what he was going to do.

He looked at Arthur who was staring at him with his eyebrow raised and an impatient look on his face. "Well?" Arthur asked.

Merlin sighed and said "I was thinking about Will", and then he looked down feeling sad as he couldn't tell Arthur the entire truth.

Arthur was quiet after he heard Merlin's answer. He remember Will, met him in Ealdor when he went there to protect the villagers. He might have been a sorcerer or warlock, Arthur didn't know, but Will had magic. He had saved their lives. Now after today's explanation about magic from Gaius, he was understanding he didn't really know anything about it. He just believed all the things his father had told him which made magic seem evil, but he never tried to find out the good side of it. Like what Will did, he had saved the villagers by using magic.

"And I am also missing my mother" Merlin continued.

"Who is Will?" asked Gwaine.

"Will was Merlin's friend. He died while protecting me." Arthur said. "He had magic and he used it to protect the villagers when Kanan's men attacked. I am sorry Merlin for your loss. I wish I could do something about it. And if you miss your mother, I can give you some days off so you can go and stay with her for a few days."

"Yes, we can ride with you too" said Gwaine excited,

Merlin shook his head and said, "No, you guys can't go there, it's in Cenred's Kingdom and you people are Camelot's knights. If you go there and get caught, you would start a war."

"Exactly Gwaine, so no riding to Ealdor. Take that idea out of your head" Arthur reprimanded Gwaine, who in reply pouted and everyone laughed seeing his expression. The atmosphere became normal with that when suddenly Leon said "That's it Cenred's Kingdom".

"What?" Arthur asked.

"Sire, Gaius said the babe was taken to a place where not even the shadow of the Pendragons or Uther will fall upon the innocent child. Out of the five kingdoms, Cenred's kingdom is the only place where the Pendragons are not going to go" explained Leon.

Everyone except Merlin was thinking about Leon's theory and they concluded that it did make sense. Arthur said "It does make sense, so now we have at least a bit of information to go on. He was taken to Cenred's kingdom." All the knights nodded.

"Wait. What are you people talking about? What babe? Who was taken to Cenred's kingdom?" asked Merlin who was getting confused by the second.

"Arthur's brother" answered Gwaine.

"Wait. Who?" asked Merlin shocked. "Arthur doesn't have a brother."

"Apparently he does" said Lancelot. "That's what got revealed at today's meeting. The Queen had given birth to two sons, however Gaius smuggled the second son out of Camelot."

"What?" spluttered Merlin. "Gaius? Impossible. Why would Gaius do that?"

"Apparently the child has ma…" Gwaine trailed off at the sound of a knock on the door.

"Come in" Arthur said.

"Sire" one of the guards said "Martha, one of the midwives who was in the meeting, wants to meet with you. She is saying she has something to tell you."

"We are busy now, tell her to come tomorrow" said Arthur.

"Wait" said Kay. Arthur looked at him in question. "Sire, Martha was there with Gaius when the second Prince was born. She might have information which Gaius is not sharing with us".

Arthur realized it and told the guard to bring Martha in the room. The guard bowed and left to get the midwife. After a minute, there was another knock on the door. "Come in" said Arthur.

Martha entered the Prince's room and saw that the knights were there too along with another man whom she hadn't seen before. "My lord" she bowed to Arthur.

"Martha, the guard stated you have something you want to tell me" Arthur said.

"Yes, my Lord. I wanted to let you know I was inside the room when the Queen named your brother."

Arthur and the knights froze. "Wait you were there?" asked Arthur excitedly. Finally he would know his brother's name.

"Yes, Sire I was there." said Martha.

"Tell me, his name." Arthur said.

"The Queen named the second prince Merlin" said Martha.

The silence was deafening. However it was broken by a laugh. Everyone turned towards the sound and saw Merlin laughing. When he saw that all the knights along with Arthur staring at him with their eyebrows raised, he calmed himself down and said, "Well it seems like Arthur, you are never getting rid of me."

Everyone's jaw hit the floor. What? It seemed like Arthur's eyes would bulge out his sockets. He couldn't believe it, Merlin, his manservant/friend is his brother? However Merlin realized that no one got his humor. "Guys, I'm only joking. I meant the name "Merlin". My name is Merlin, Arthur's long lost brother name is Merlin, and so I am trying to say that Arthur is never going to get rid of someone named Merlin. Do you get it? I was joking."

Everyone sighed. Arthur gave Merlin a stinking eye which caused Merlin to grin at him. "Mate you nearly gave us a heart attack. I literally thought that you are saying you are the second prince, which would clearly state you have magic" said Gwaine.

Merlin who was laughing, froze. He looked at Gwaine and asked "Wait? What? Magic?"

"Yup. That is what I was going to say before the guard knocked. The second Prince was born with magic. Apparently he is magic itself, and he even tried to save the Queen's life when she was dying. He was just few minutes old and his magic tried to save his mother's life. How extraordinary. Moreover Gaius wasn't the only one who smuggled the babe out of Camelot. You, know the dragonlord, Balinor maybe, don't remember. He was the one who took the child out of Camelot?" explained Gwaine.

Merlin was frozen with shock. It seemed his world was falling apart. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. His brain was frozen. It could not be true. This could not happen. He remembered when he was ten years old, his mother told him that he saved her life when he was born. Apparently there were some complications during the birth time and Hunith was dying, however, Merlin's magic saved her. He never felt as proud of his magic as he had felt at that moment. But now he didn't know what to think anymore. Because as Gwaine had just said, the second prince was just not born with magic, he was magic and apparently his magic tried to save the Queen's life. Whatever Merlin knew, he was the only who could perform magic since the day he was born. The druids, Kilgaragh and Gaius confirmed it. Then the matter of Balinor. Gaius said Balinor was his father, and Gwaine stated Balinor ran away with the second Prince. So whatever Gwaine was saying, if it was true then it could only mean that he was the prince… No that could not be possible. It was impossible.

Arthur saw Merlin's expression and his internal fight. He saw Merlin was shaking. He walked up to him and said "Merlin, what's wrong? What happened? Why are you shaking?"

Merlin shook his head and said "No, no, no, it's not true. They will never lie to me. He will never lie. It's impossible. He cannot lie."

"Who cannot lie to you? What are you talking about?" asked Arthur confused.

However unknown to Merlin, his magic was reacting to his emotions and things in Arthur's room started to float which shocked everyone except Merlin. The knights and Arthur looked at them in horror. The more distressed Merlin was getting the more the magic was reacting. Soon everyone heard strong wind blowing outside which was a clear sign of a storm. However the weather was good just a minute ago but how could there be a storm coming out of nowhere. Lancelot understood what was happening. It was Merlin's magic. He rushed to Merlin's side and tried to calm him down so he didn't reveal himself, which he already understood was too late.

"Merlin, calm down. Look at me, breath." said Lancelot to Merlin who was on the verge of having a panic attack. "Merlin, please calm down. Talk with me. It's okay. Calm down."

Lancelot was trying his best to calm Merlin down however everyone around them seemed to be stuck to their places. Arthur was beyond shocked and staring at Merlin with wonder in his eyes. Slowly, slowly Merlin's breathing became normal and he looked at Lancelot. The storm outside stopped. The silence was deafening. Everyone was looking at Merlin as if they had never seen him before. Merlin looked at them and then ran to Gaius's room. The moment he left, every floating object dropped to the floor. No one moved, no one said anything, they just stood there shocked. Realization stroked Arthur like a lightning bolt and he ran after Merlin.

**Author's note: Sorry for the late update but I was thinking all different ways of revealing the true identity of who the second prince will be.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Merlin ran to Gaius's room. While he was running he didn't care who saw him. He didn't care about what people thought that he was running like a mad man. He needed to find Gaius and know the truth. Whatever Gwaine was saying, if it was true then Gaius knew everything and he had lied to Merlin all his life, along with his mother. He would find out even if it was the last thing he did. He was sick and tired of people hiding truths from him and trying to control his life. They forgot it was his life and he himself was in control of it. He was literally vibrating with his magic.

While Arthur was following Merlin, he bumped into Uther who was also on his way to Gaius's chamber. May be his father couldn't wait till morning to talk to Gaius and it was understandable due to the circumstances. Uther asked Arthur "Arthur where are you running to? What's wrong son? Why do you look so shocked?" Uther looked behind Arthur and saw that his knights were not far behind him and looked at his son again and asked "Why are your knights running after you?"

"Father there is no time to talk. I need to go and find him." replied Arthur but on second thought he added "I think I know who the second prince is."

Uther looked at him bewildered, but before he could say anything, Arthur ran again. Uther decided to follow him along with the knights. He was surprised when he realized they were going towards Gaius's chamber. When he looked at Arthur, he saw his son was following his manservant who had just entered Gaius's chamber quite rudely.

While Merlin was running he did notice that he was being followed. Normally he probably wouldn't have noticed, however currently he did because his magic was increasing in strength and it made him hyper-aware of his surroundings. Using his magic he understood who was running behind him, it was Arthur however his magic also felt Uther and the knights not far behind. Still he didn't stop. Arthur along with his knights had already seen his magic so what was the use of hiding it anymore. And about Uther, Merlin didn't care about the King at the moment. His main goal was to talk to Gaius and no one could stop him. When he neared Gaius's chamber, he slammed the door open and he saw Gaius jump at the loud noise.

Gaius who was sitting on his bed and pondering about all of the things that had happened in the throne room today, all the truth that had come out. He jumped at the sound of the door as it slammed open and it scared the living day out of him. When he stood up shouting at the person who opened the door "What is wrong with you? Ever heard of knocking? What's the emergen…?" His words got stuck in his throat, but not because of seeing who entered, rather seeing his expression. It was Merlin and he was vibrating with anger. Gaius felt the magic in the air. Which surprised him and made things slightly clear when he saw who was behind Merlin, it was Arthur and the King. The way Arthur looked at him made him think as if Arthur knew the truth that he had tried to hide with his life in the throne room and it made him worried. Uther looked confused and worried. It seemed like he didn't know what was going on.

When Merlin entered the room, Gaius was saying something but the moment the physician looked at him, he paused. Merlin didn't know what his expression showed but he could guess because of the rage and betrayal he felt and then he saw Gaius's expression turn worried when he saw the people behind him. However Merlin did not care anymore.

"Gaius" Merlin said in a calm voice.

Gaius was worried about the tone because even its calm, he could tell that it was the calm before the storm. Both the royals understood that too.

"Guess what Gwaine just told me. Arthur has a brother who was apparently born with magic. Actually do you want to know the most surprising part?" Merlin asked Gaius who in return gulped because the pressure of the magic in the air thickened. "The babe is magic itself. The _babe_" emphasizing the word "used magic the moment he was born and tried to save his mother."

Gaius looked around as things around him started to shake. Uther's eyes were getting bigger as realization dawned on him. Arthur was frozen but was looking at Merlin who was tense as if he was holding onto the power which would burst out any moment now.

"I find it strange because I remember when you got to know about my magic" Merlin continued but heard someone gasp when he mentioned his magic "you told me that I was a mystery that never had been posed. Meaning I started doing magic since the day I was born. My mother, Hunith, told me when I was of ten years that I had tried to save her life after I was born because there were some complications with the birth, where she was dying but my magic saved her. You, Kilgaragh and the druids told me I was the only warlock in the world who had so much power and I am the only one who is magic itself."

Everyone except Gaius and Merlin were stunned. They couldn't believe it. Merlin was a warlock, he was born with it, and he was magic itself which could only mean that Merlin was the second Prince. Gaius was at a loss for words. He clearly didn't know what he would say to Merlin. He could see that Merlin was beyond furious. He was worried about his surrogate son as well as Camelot. Merlin's magic was powerful and if he lost his control of it then it had the power to burn Camelot to the ground. Gaius had to stop him.

But before Gaius could utter a single word, Merlin continued "So tell me Gaius, if I am the all too powerful warlock that the druids, Kilgaragh and you claimed; then how come you told everyone in the throne room today that the second Prince was powerful and was magic itself. Tell me. Now."

"You will tell me the truth now Gaius. The truth about my birth. I want to hear the truth not a single lie." Merlin said in a strong and powerful voice. A voice which vibrated through the room with its power. Gaius realized then that the man who was standing before him and asking him questions was not only Merlin, it was Merlin Emrys, the powerful warlock that you did not want to enrage, and it scared him. The shaking of the things around the room increased. The royals and the knights shivered at the show of such power. They had never witnessed anything like it before. They could feel it in their bones. They heard the sound of the harsh wind outside warning them about the storm which was to hit soon. Arthur realized that this was the wrath of the warlock.

Gaius didn't answer anything and was quiet, however Merlin was losing his patience. He needed to know the truth and he need to know now.

"TELL ME NOW" Merlin yelled. The windows burst open and everyone could hear thundering and see lightning. The storm had already hit, and it was increasing in its strength.

Gaius understood that if he didn't answer Merlin and tell him the truth, then Merlin's anger along with his magic would destroy everything in its path. "When Balinor took the babe out of Camelot, he knew that there was only one place where the Pendragon's shadow wouldn't fall and it was Cenred's Kingdom. After riding for days he came upon Ealdor. He thought he would rest in Ealdor for some time and then take the second Prince in deeper territory than Ealdor as it was just on the border and too close to Camelot. However there he met your mother, Hunith." Gaius explained while he looked at Merlin who stood there looking back at him. "After he met Hunith, he liked her immediately and she started to become a mother to the babe. So he decided to stay in Ealdor and raise the Prince there without revealing the true identity of the babe to anyone except Hunith. They decided to keep the name that the Queen gave her child; Merlin. Yes you are the babe, the second Prince of Camelot, the second son of Uther and Igraine Pendragon, and the brother of Arthur Pendragon. You are Merlin Pendragon."

The silence was deafening. Only the sound of the storm and thundering could be heard. It seemed like no one even dared to breathe. Uther couldn't believe it, Merlin was his son. His son had been in front of him for two and a half years and he never knew. His son had been the manservant of his oldest son! Merlin felt like the ground under him had been pulled away, his knees buckled and he fell with a thud. Arthur rushed to Merlin's side and kneeled beside him and put a supporting hand on his shoulder. At the touch Merlin looked at Arthur and saw his face showed pain, shock and understanding.

"Why? Why Gaius? Why had you never told me anything? I understand why you never told the King or Arthur but why didn't you tell me? And why did you tell me Balinor was my father? Why would you say such a thing? Do you have any idea how I felt when he died in my arms, even having all this power I couldn't save him. Do you have any idea how I felt when he took his last breath? Do you have any idea what I have been feeling since that day? Why would you tell me he is my father when he was not? WHY?" Merlin yelled, and at his last yell some of the bottles burst.

"Some futures are foretold. I knew the moment when you and Arthur rode out to get Balinor, he would not be coming with you." Gaius said. Merlin and Arthur just looked at him. "However I told you Balinor was your father so that Balinor knew it was you, the child he ran away with, his sister's son. I told you he was your father because I didn't want you to feel that your mother had cheated, so you didn't think badly of Hunith. I remember clearly the first birthday of yours. I was in Ealdor with you and your mother. I remember Iseldiar came to see you on your birthday and to talk to me and Hunith. Iseldiar is the chief of the druids. The druids also felt the power when you were born. He came and told me it was a mistake in my and Balinor's part to separate you and Arthur. They told me about the prophecy and they also told me about a bond between both of you brothers. A bond which was created when both of you were in your mother's womb. A magical bond which is unbreakable and which connects you both in mind and body. I didn't believe it at the time but I saw it happen. I remember when Arthur was five years of age, he was really unhappy but couldn't understand why because there was a ceremony going on in Camelot and he was supposed to be happy but instead he was sad. He told me about it. I remember the next day I received a letter stating Merlin was sick and unhappy. Something had happened regarding his magic and he was sad. I didn't think they were related so I brushed it off, however it continued year after year, sometimes Merlin would be upset for no reason and during that time Arthur was upset. Then I realized that it was the bond Iseldiar had talked about which amazed me, because how could such a thing happen when two brothers lived in two different kingdoms. They never even saw each other, the only time they met each other was when they were sleeping on the same cot right after they were born but they were both asleep. I have never seen or heard anything like such, but as Iseldiar claimed both of the Pendragon brothers were unique as well as their bond. The strongest bond in the world. I remember when Balinor and I decided we would take Merlin away and went to the room where the brothers were, they were both sleeping but they were holding hands. They were clasped tightly as if they knew that they were going to be separated and they did not want to let each other go. The moment I unclasped both your hands from each other and Balinor took Merlin, both of you started crying and I told Bainor to leave immediately before the guards came in. The moment he left, the guards rushed in. If we were a second late, we both would have been caught and you both would never have been separated. Balinor told me you cried all day till you tired yourself out. Same went for Arthur, he cried all day till he also exhausted himself. No one in the castle understood why he was crying, some thought it was because he understood his mother left, however I knew better."

Gaius paused and looked at everyone. They looked stunned but eyes were full of wonder. Gaius was getting thirsty so he got up, got water for himself, drank it some and continued with the story. "Iseldiar predicted the future of Camelot. That one day Camelot will be attacked by the Great dragon and it will be you, Merlin who will stop him."

Arthur looked at Merlin and said "What? You stopped the dragon? You told me I stopped him."

"Only a dragonlord can kill or command a dragon. Are you a dragonlord? No. So I lied because I couldn't tell you I stopped him, it would mean revealing my magic, Prat." Merlin replied. Everyone sniggered at Merlin calling Arthur "Prat".

"You are a dragonlord too. What the hell?" Arthur asked bewildered.

"Yes. Now clotpole, can we return to Gaius's story before you get more side tracked. I will explain all our amazing adventures later, brother." Merlin said with a smirk on his face. Arthur smiled too at being called brother. Uther smiled at the banter of his sons and shook his head, they would never change. They were like this even when they hadn't known they were brothers."

Gaius smiled at them and continued "Iseldiar said that as Balinor didn't have a son, there is no one to whom the dragonlord power could pass onto. However as Igraine's one son was born with powerful magic and it was prophesied that Emry's would be able to command dragons too, so for this reason the power of the dragonlord would pass onto Merlin. If I would have told you, Merlin that Balinor was your uncle then I would have to explain a lot to you and eventually tell you the truth. That would have made things awkward between you and Arthur and he would have noticed it too, which would have led to the truth to be revealed to everyone. That is why I never told anything to you and that is why I told you that Balinor was your father. You have to believe me and understand Merlin, whatever I did, I did to protect you. I remember Igraine made me promise to protect you at any cost, I think as a mother she understood her son might be in danger. The King blamed magic and started the Great Purge, I couldn't let you stay in Camelot or let the King know his son was born with magic. I was scared for your life. I am sorry son, I hope you can forgive me. Your mother Hunith wanted to tell you several times but I stopped her and she was scared too of Uther's wrath."

Uther bowed his head in shame. Then he did something which shocked everyone, maybe including himself as well. He kneeled in front of Merlin and looked up into his eyes and said "I'm sorry my son."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Merlin was beyond shock. The Uther Pendragon, the proud King who never bows front of anyone, is kneeling down front of him? Then when he heard the King saying "I'm sorry my son." The moment he heard the word 'my son', he understood that the man who is sitting front of him is not the King, but a father. A father who never got to know his son, a father who lost his son because of his and his physician's decision, and a father who didn't knew that his lost son has been living in the same castle with him for over two years.

Uther looked at Merlin and continued "I'm sorry that you had to go through so much pain and sorrow. When Gaius told me that I have another son, I was so happy and I couldn't wait to see him. Then he said that he couldn't tell me the whereabouts of yours because he was trying to protect you from me." He paused and sighed. It was hard for him to confess his feeling as he always had problem expressing his emotions to others. However he understood that today he need to speak, so he continued.

"It was my decision and I was the one who went to Nimueh. She did warn me of the price, about the balance that the old religion requires however I was so selfish and blind with the want of an heir that I didn't care that someone might die, and I never thought that it would be my love who would die. Igraine was everything to me. After I lost her, I couldn't think straight, I couldn't believe that I have lost the person who meant the world to me." He paused again as it was hard for him to talk about Igraine.

"I feel so ashamed that Gaius have to take my own son away because of my actions and my own blood has to grow up in a small village as a peasant as well as has to work as a servant in my own castle for his brother. I hope you can forgive me and we can be a family." He finished with a small smile. Arthur smiled at his father but he was shocked. He has never seen his father like this, talking about the past. He always avoided the topic. Like him, his father also has a problems of expressing emotions to others.

Merlin smiled at Uther and said "I understand what you are trying to say however as all this has been a lot for me to take in, I need time to accept everything and get passed through it. But I do kind of understand how you felt when you lost the love of your life, because I have lost mine too."

Everyone except Gaius was shocked, especially Arthur. He was stunned. Merlin? He had a lover? Whom he had already lost? When in the world did this happen and why Merlin never said anything to him. He turned his head toward his knights and mouthed them silently "Did any of you knew?" All the knights shook their head and he can see they were surprised too. Uther was shock as well as sad because his son already know the pain of losing their love at such a young age.

"What? When did this happen? What was her name? Why you never told me? Is she from Ealdor?" Arthur asked one question after another. Merlin was quiet for a few minutes and then answered "No, I met her last year in Camelot."

"What?" Arthur asked outraged. "You never said anything to me. You met her in Camelot. Why wouldn't you…" Arthur trailed off when he heard a growling noise. It seemed it came from Merlin. Everyone looked at Merlin who in return blushed and looked down. Gaius shook his head and asked him "Merlin, when was the last time you ate something?"

Merlin gave him a sheepish smile and answer "Umm… last night." This time it was Uther who yelled "What? Last night? What about today's breakfast and lunch? Why did you skipped it?"

Merlin rubbed his neck and said "Because I woke up late and Arthur always yell at me for bringing his breakfast late. So as I was in a hurry, I didn't have time to eat breakfast and as for lunch I was trying to finish my chores." Uther glared at Arthur who in return started to defend himself "But… but I never told him to skip his meal."

"Never mind." Uther said, "Now we will go and have dinner. It has been a long and tiring day. We all must be tired and hungry. Let us all retire for the night." With that he stood up. Merlin and Arthur stood up following Uther, however Merlin lost his balance as everything became blurry front of his eyes. Thankfully Uther and Arthur was around him and when they notice this, they both immediately put their arms around him to hold him upright.

"Are you okay?" asked Uther worriedly.

"I am fine. Things just got blurry front of my eyes for a second." replied Merlin in a weak voice.

"Gaius, what's wrong with him?" asked Arthur who understood Merlin was trying to act strong but failing miserably.

"I think it's his magic. As he unintentionally used a lot of magic, it consumed maximum energy from his body. He was already tired and hungry. Using magic in an empty stomach and a weak body is bad. Magic consumes energy especially his magic as it's instinctual" Gaius explained. In return both Uther and Arthur nod their head at the new knowledge to indicate that they understood it. At that moment they realized that the storm has calmed down and everything which was floating around Gaius room, they already have been put down. Arthur started to walk out of the door by supporting Merlin. However Merlin stopped him and asked "Where are you taking me? My room is the other way. Did you forgot that, you prat?"

"No Merlin, I did not forgot that. However from now on you are going to have a different room as you are a Prince now. But tonight you will stay at my room." answered Arthur.

"But?' Merlin tried to say but Arthur stopped him. "No, buts. We are going to my chamber and there at first we are going to have dinner and then we will sleep."

Merlin was too tired to argue so he agreed and Arthur took him to his room and made him sit at one of his chairs. Then Arthur poked his head out of the door and ordered one of his guard to go and tell a servant to get them dinner. When Arthur returned back to the table, he saw Merlin dozing off. He went and shook his brother's shoulder and stated "Merlin, don't you dare doze off now. You need to eat. Your body need nourishment. After you have your dinner, then feel free to sleep but before that don't sleep."

"Clotpole." said Merlin with a glare at Arthur.

"Idiot", said Arthur.

"Dollophead", replied Merlin.

"Fool", said Arthur shaking his head and then continued "While we are waiting for our dinner to arrive, let's finish our conversation."

"Which conversation", Merlin asked confused.

"The conversation which was rudely interrupted by your growling stomach." Arthur said it with a smirked and Merlin gave him an evil eye stating "I was hungry you cabbage-head".

"OK. Let's not get distracted again. I want to hear about the girl that you met in Camelot and never told me anything." said Arthur.

Merlin frowned and bowed his head. "Can't we just drop this topic? I don't feel like talking about it now. Please, Arthur. I will tell you everything later but not tonight." Even Arthur was dying to hear about the girl, which he will never admit. However after hearing his brother say "please" and looking at his sad expression, he nodded his head and said "Yeah. Fine, but we will talk about this later." At that Merlin sadly nodded his head.

"Merlin, why don't you want to tell me? I am not talking about now, but by just looking at you I can understand you don't want to tell me the story. But why? What more badly can it be?" Arthur inquired. Just then there was a knock on the door and two servants entered carrying trays of varieties of food like bread, fruits, chicken, puddings and finally a jug full of wine. Merlin looked at the food with a raised eyebrow. Arthur looked at the food and turned his head and stated, "See Merlin, this is how royals are served food." Merlin snorted and said "We have to keep you in shape. Now we can't have you gobble down all of this food and become chubby."

"Shut up, Merlin. I am fighting fit." said Arthur.

Without answering, Merlin started eating. He was starving and the food taste heavenly. Arthur looked at his brother affectionately, smiled and shook his head. Then he himself started eating. He didn't realize how hungry he was, but now he was devouring the food. None of them talked, they were busy eating. The food and the wine tasted so good after such a long day, especially the wine relaxed the body.

"Ah, I am stuffed. It was a good meal", Arthur said with a satisfied smile. Merlin agreed by nodding his head. He was feeling really tired now as he used so much magic today. He is still having a hard time accepting that his biological mother has been Igraine and Uther, the man whom he have ever liked, is his father. Tomorrow is going to be a hard day too, especially when Morgana is going to know about his magic. Even if Uther said he wanted to be a family but there is a very important matter they need to talk about and it's his magic. If Uther cannot accept his magic then it means his father cannot accept him too. He knows Arthur will support him, may be Morgana too, Gaius and Lancelot will, may be Gwaine too, however he is hesitant about Leon, Kay, Elyan, Gwen and Percival. Leon has been a knight of Camelot for such a long time, he has been drilled with the believe that magic is evil. Then there is another matter, telling Arthur about all their adventures and also about Freya. He knew the moment he will tell Arthur about how Freya died, Arthur will always blame himself. Merlin have never blamed Arthur, he was a Prince and he was protecting his kingdom. But it doesn't lessen the pain. The only girl he has ever loved died and he couldn't save her even with all his power. he is known as the powerful warlock ever walk on this earth but what is the use of all the power if he can't use it to save the people the people that means so much to him, Freya, Will and Balinor. Even Balinor is not his father but that time he knew it was his father. He didn't know how long he has been sitting there and thinking but suddenly he felt someone squeeze his hand. He looked at the person and saw it was Arthur who was looking at him with a pained and worried expression.

After finishing his dinner, he leaned back at his chair, closed his eyes and relaxed. It has been such a long and tiring day. So many secrets came out, him knowing he has a brother who was taken away from his after their birth, apparently his brother has magic and then he found out that his brother is Merlin who has been living with him over two years and serving him. When he woke up today in the morning, if anyone would have told him all this, either he would have laughed at their face and called that person made or put him/her in the dungeon. He was lost in his thoughts but then he felt a pain in his heart. He opened his eyes, looked at Merlin but what he saw worried him. Merlin, his brother was crying. He could see Merlin was lost in his thoughts, so many emotion was passing upon his face from disbelieve, to anger to hurt. He squeezed his brother hand hoping it will bring him away from whatever painful memory he is reliving. Now he could see that Merlin carried so much burden like him however their burdens are different. He will share his brother's burden, he won't let him carry it alone anymore.

"Merlin," Arthur called him. Merlin looked at Arthur. Arthur continued slowly, "Why are you crying, brother? Please tell me. I am here for you." At first he thought that Merlin won't say anything to him but then out of nowhere Merlin jumped and hugged Arthur and started crying. Arthur was shocked but tried his best to console his brother who looked so broken. While Merlin was hugging and crying, Arthur moved them towards the bed, and keep on soothing him as much as he can as he was never good with emotions. However tonight his brother and best friend need him and he will be there. He knows one thing, he will always be there for his brother no matter what. This is a promise he made to himself, he will look after his brother and support him till the day he die. He realized his brother fall asleep while crying, so he gently laid Merlin's down on the bed, took of his shoes and covered him with the blanket. He then got up from the bed, took his night dress out of the closet and changed into them behind the screen. He decided he will leave the dishes on the table for the night. He doesn't want to call the servants to take the dishes as the sound might wake his brother, which he doesn't want. So he left the dishes on the table, dimmed the candles, stoke the fire and laid down beside Merlin on the bed. He hugged his brother and before he knew, he fall asleep with a smile on his face.

**Author's note: Sorry for the late update. I have been busy recently so didn't get time to either write or update. However I will try to update the next chapter soon. I hope you like this one. ****J**


	7. Author's note

Hello everyone. First thank you for the amazing reviews. It means a lot to me as this is my first fan fiction story. The reviews encourages me a lot.

Now, I am really sorry that I haven't posted any new chapters recently. As it is near to the end of semester, I have been busy with my projects, quizzes and exams. For this reason I was unable to write any new chapters and post it.

As soon as my semester ends, which will be the 2nd week of April, I will get back on track and after that I will try to post regularly.


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